Recent Stories
Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My teenage daughter Daniella died in a car accident almost two years ago, and even though I have been able to go on raising my other two children and working in my office job, I continue to feel a great deal of grief and also some irrational guilt about her death, because […]
Continue ReadingMourning a Former Spouse: Disenfranchised Grief: Reader Comments Editor’s Note: This is a rarely discussed topic, but in a country where 40-50% of couples file for divorce, it is an inevitability. Since Dr. Neimeyer addressed this in a post several years ago, we have received many comments. Here is a link to the original article: […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Why do I feel guilty when I laugh or have fun, knowing my daughter isn’t here, and I shouldn’t be having fun? Dolores Dear Dolores– There is an unwritten code in our culture–one that is an explicit prescription in many world cultures–that presumes that we honor the dead when we wear our […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer I have read and appreciate your work about meaning reconstruction in loss. I have a friend whose grief is so complicated and consuming that she can’t find life for herself (her husband died from cancer about six years ago) and she can’t seem to move forward at all. Here is an excerpt […]
Continue ReadingEditor’s Note: this is an eloquent response to Dr. Neimeyer’s recent post “What is the Meaning of Life? Goodbye to 2023″ which can be found here: What is the Meaning of Life? Goodbye to 2023 Dear Dr. Neimeyer, For many seasons have you offered support, real support to those of us who have lost loved […]
Continue ReadingDealing with Anticipatory Grief Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My question is about anticipatory grief, the distress that family members can feel when a loved one is receiving end-of-life care. I work in a palliative care unit of a large hospital, and we often have families who are overwhelmed with the reality of the patient’s impending death, […]
Continue ReadingWhat is the Meaning of Life? We repost this classic Dr. Neimeyer piece as every new year approaches. –The Editors Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I have just one question, but it is a big one. In your opinion, what is the meaning of life?–Nicolae Dear Nicolae, I’m a practicing psychologist who works alongside people who are […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer– My husband died just over a year ago, so on January 1st I will start my second year without him, and I am not looking forward to it. It’s not that I am immobilized by grief, as I have gotten better across the months in that department, and actually feel pretty good […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, A good deal of my practice with grieving clients is influenced by your work and that of your colleagues like Dennis Klass on the idea of continuing bonds–the concept that bereaved people really are striving to maintain their attachment to deceased loved ones who have died rather than “let go,” “withdraw energy […]
Continue ReadingEditor’s Note: This week we are printing a compendium of comments to recent Ask Dr. Neimeyer posts focusing on grief and the holidays. Hi..please help me to overcome the blame of my mom’s death, I lost my mom last summer. She had a heart complications (angina) and also arthritis, me and my sisters we took […]
Continue Reading